Ending Physician Overwhelm

Send us Fan Mail You don’t need a brand-new personality this year. You don’t need kale, CrossFit, or a personality transplant on January 1st. What you do need are a few small, intentional tweaks—decisions that actually respect the life you’re living and the woman you already are. In this episode, we’re officially past the “New Year, New You” nonsense and back in real life. And from that grounded p...

Send us Fan Mail Rewriting the “New Year, New You” Narrative New Year’s can be a surprisingly difficult  time, especially for women physicians who already carry a heavy load of responsibility, perfectionism, and self-judgment. In this episode, I explore why the familiar “New Year, New You” energy so often leaves us feeling discouraged rather than renewed, and offer a more compassionate, sustainabl...

Send us Fan Mail You get asked questions all day long. By patients. By staff. By your family. By the system. But when was the last time you asked yourself a question that actually helped? In this final week of our 10-week Recharge Challenge, we’re talking about one of the most overlooked (and powerful) stress-reduction tools you already have: better questions. Not the stuck, spiraling ones: Why is...

Send us Fan Mail What do you need more of right now? Your brain will say: time, sleep, money, peace on earth, a functioning Epic inbox. Fair. But this week, we’re naming the thing that quietly drives everything else : connection. Not “more people.” Not “more social plans.” More moments where you actually feel connected —to your people, to your purpose, and to yourself. Because you can be surrounde...

Send us Fan Mail Let’s be honest: when you’re exhausted, under-resourced, and working in a system that keeps asking for more… gratitude can feel like a stretch. In this episode, we’re talking about gratitude—but not the fluffy, bypass-y kind that tells you to “just be thankful” while everything burns down. We’re talking about real gratitude : the kind that helps regulate your nervous system, prote...

Send us Fan Mail What if the best medicine you take this week doesn’t come in a bottle, a supplement, a perfectly periodized strength program, or a color-coded workout app… but from simply moving your body the way it was designed to move? In this week’s episode of Ending Physician Overwhelm , we’re looking at rhythmic movement — walking, running, swimming, biking, anything repetitive and steady —...

Send us Fan Mail Berry Good Medicine Ending Physician Overwhelm – Episode 205 This week we’re diving into one of the easiest, most delicious ways to lower stress and protect your health as a women physician: berries . Yes… berries. No, they won’t fix the existential dread of your overflowing inbox, but they will equip your brain and body to handle the demands of physician life with more ease, more...

Send us Fan Mail When was the last time you laughed so hard you lost control? Not the polite workplace chuckle. Not the “ha-ha-that’s-funny” text response. I mean full-body, shoulders-shaking, snort-laughing, tears-in-your-eyes, I-might-pee-a-little laughter. …Yeah. If you can’t remember, you are exactly who this week is for. In Week 5 of the 10-Week Recharge Challenge , we’re talking about one of...

Send us Fan Mail You don’t have “insomnia.” You have too much on your mind, too much on your plate, and a healthcare system that treats your sleep like an optional hobby. In this episode of Ending Physician Overwhelm , we’re diving into sleep as a radical act of self-preservation for physicians. This is Week 4 of the 10-Week Recharge Challenge, and we’re getting honest about why you’re not sleepin...

Send us Fan Mail You’ve been told to “just take a deep breath” more times than you can count. Usually by someone who doesn’t realize you’ve been holding your breath since pre-med. This week on Ending Physician Overwhelm, we’re talking about something deceptively simple — breathing. Not the kind of “calm down” breath that makes you want to throw a stethoscope, but intentional, physiologic breathing...

Send us Fan Mail This week, we’re getting a little leafy. In Week 2 of our 10-Week Recharge Challenge, we’re focusing on feeding your cells from the inside out. No, you don’t need to become a kale evangelist — but yes, your mitochondria are begging you for some help. As physicians, we’ve been trained to care for everyone else first. We run on caffeine, cortisol, and guilt, and we convince ourselve...

Send us Fan Mail Hey friend — can we talk about the badge of busyness for a minute? That invisible medal we wear to prove our worth? In medicine, we’ve turned endurance into identity. We work through exhaustion, chart through dinner, and treat rest like a reward we haven’t quite earned. But that constant hustle for worthiness isn’t just costing us our joy — it’s literally aging us faster. In this...

Send us Fan Mail You're Not Broken. You're Just in a Broken System. After four years of coaching women physicians, I've noticed patterns; patterns that show up again and again in brilliant, capable doctors who feel like they're barely holding it together. If you've ever felt like a hot mess inside while everyone thinks you have it all figured out, this episode is for you....

Send us Fan Mail What if you gave yourself permission to dream bigger? We spend so much time answering questions about our patients, our practice, our responsibilities. But when was the last time someone asked you questions just about you ? Not you as a physician. Not you as a professional. Just... you. In this episode, we're doing something different. I'm inviting you to sit down with m...

Send us Fan Mail How to keep showing up when the system keeps breaking down Recording from my car today because perfectionism can take a back seat - we've got more important things to talk about. Let's not sugarcoat this: Healthcare is a dumpster fire right now. Between government officials spreading vaccine misinformation, declining reimbursements, inadequate staffing, and the general c...

Send us Fan Mail The question that reveals everything about why you're stuck (and how to get unstuck) Before we dive in, I want you to do something. Right now, finish this sentence: "If I had more help, I'd..." Don't filter it. Don't edit it. Just let your brain complete that thought. What came up for you? Was it "see more patients" or "finally start th...

Send us Fan Mail When you're stuck in a grumpy spiral and can't seem to shake it off We've all been there - that Sunday afternoon where everything feels irritating, you're snapping at people you love, and you just can't seem to pull yourself out of the funk. This week, I'm sharing the exact process I used to work through my own "petty pity party" and how you...

Send us Fan Mail What are you waiting to give yourself permission to do? Let me guess. You want to leave work on time. Say no to that extra committee. Cut down your FTE. Set an actual boundary with that colleague who dumps last-minute requests on you. But you're waiting. Waiting for someone in authority to tell you it's okay. Waiting until you've "earned" enough loyalty po...

Send us Fan Mail Death by a thousand paper cuts. You know exactly what I'm talking about. Those small, repetitive frustrations that chip away at your energy every single day. The outdated dot phrase you keep meaning to fix. The cluttered workspace that makes you cringe. The workflow that slows you down every. Single. Time. We tell ourselves these things shouldn't bother us. That we shoul...

Send us Fan Mail Ever wonder why setting boundaries as a physician feels like trying to learn rocket science? You're brilliant, you've mastered complex medical concepts, yet saying "no" to one more request feels impossibly difficult. Here's the truth: You weren't taught how to set boundaries – you were actively trained to sacrifice yourself for others. The Car Manual...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back to Ending Physician Overwhelm! As we head into the last week of August 2025 and prepare for back-to-school season, it's time to think about something we do constantly as physicians: learning. The Evolution of Medical Learning You've been a professional learner your entire career. Medical school, residency, fellowship, boards, CME requirements - you've m...

Send us Fan Mail Last week, we talked about the toxic assumptions that make everything worse when crisis hits. This week, we're diving into what to actually DO instead - because bad things will happen in your medical career, but they don't have to destroy you in the process. The Framework That Changes Everything When something goes catastrophically wrong - termination, disciplinary actio...

Send us Fan Mail ⚠️ TRIGGER WARNING : This episode discusses challenging topics including job loss, disciplinary actions, and references to physician suicide. While this episode is not about physician suicide specifically, these topics are mentioned in the context of understanding how certain thought patterns can contribute to physician mental health struggles. Please prioritize your wellbeing - i...

Send us Fan Mail The strategic art of dialing friction up and down to protect your sanity Friction Management? Friction management is the work of boundaries, and it might just be your secret weapon against overwhelm. In this episode, we dive deep into how technology has reduced friction in ways that are actually making your life harder, and what you can do about it. The Problem: When "Conveni...

Send us Fan Mail How to return to self-care and self-kindness when you're struggling What’s in This Episode You're not failing at self-care; you're navigating something unprecedented. As we hit the end of July (yes, summer is flying by!), it's the perfect time to remember how to come back to taking care of yourself when you feel like you've been struggling. Drawing from Dr...